Grand Strand Newsmakers

Midway Fire trains with new equipment

Midway Fire Rescue spent time earlier this month training with new Holmatro Hydralulic Rescue tools that will help emergency responders extract victims from damaged vehicles by cutting through a vehicle's exterior. Midway staff practiced cutting away vehicle doors, as well as using a hydraulic spreader tool to peel away a vehicle's roof.

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The new tools were purchased as part of Georgetown County’s Capital Improvement Plan, replacing tools that were 10 years old. The new hydraulic tools are state of the art, using a core technology with one hydraulic line instead of the old design with two hoses side-by-side. The older model was cumbersome to work with, emergency responders said. The new core hoses swivel with the hydraulic tool, preventing kinks in the hoseline, and are much lighter and more powerful for cutting into the new boron metal used in cars today.

Midway will have an open house at its headquarters station on Saturday, July 29, from 4-7 p.m. The station is located at 67 St. Paul Place, off Willbrook Blvd. in Litchfield. The event will include a dedication and blessing ceremony for new fire engines, fire engine rides, fire safety lessons, fire hose games, child safety seat inspections. Equipment displays, and free fire and life safety materials.

GEORGETOWN

HGTC Unveils Plans for New Georgetown Center for Advanced Manufacturing

Horry Georgetown Technical College unveiled plans on July 10, for the College’s new Georgetown Center for Advanced Manufacturing.

President Marilyn Fore, project architects and college faculty presented the state-of-the-art facility design and training programs to over 70 area and industry leaders.

This 30,000 square foot building will house the College’s machine tool, mechatronics and welding programs and be adaptable to new training needs as industry changes. It will be built on the south end of HGTC’s Georgetown campus and will serve new students, technical scholars, incumbent workers and adult students. Surveys have shown that the Center is projected to support more than $14 million in new capital investment in the community over the next five years.

“We are excited to share these plans for the new Georgetown Center for Advanced Manufacturing to our industry partners,” said HGTC President Marilyn Fore.

“Georgetown employers project over 340 jobs will be needed over the next two to five years, with 240 of those jobs in welding, mechatronics, machine tool and robotics. This new program will provide the skills and workforce needed to meet this demand.”

The building is scheduled to open for bid in spring 2018, break ground summer of 2018 and be open to students by the fall of 2019. HGTC’s new Advanced Manufacturing Center on the Conway Campus is on track to open this fall.

HGTC offers college transfer and skilled associate degree programs in more than 80 fields of study. Nearly all programs feature internships that lead to jobs. Ninety-five percent of students either transfer to earn advanced degrees or start careers in their respective fields of study.

Central Strand

MYRTLE BEACH

Corvette Club raises more than $23K for local charities

On June 3, the Myrtle Beach Corvette Club hosted their 22nd Corvettes at the Beach car show. The show is held annually at Broadway at the Beach. The main purpose of this show was to raise money for the 2 local charities voted on by the Club members. This years charities were Veterans Welcome Home and Resource Center and Horry County Meals on Wheels.

The show is always free for people to view these beautiful cars. This year there were 287 Corvettes from several states on display.

Each charity received a check for $11,565.95.

The Club wishes to thank Myrtle Beach Chevrolet-Cadillac, all the local businesses that made donations, and members of Myrtle Beach Corvette Club for making this donation possible.

CONWAY

Four Students Selected as Recipients of Coastal Carolina University’s Prestigious Grant Center Scholarship

“Each year the list of qualified applicants continues to grow making the selection process more difficult,” said Rob Salvino, Ph.D. Research Economist and Professor at Coastal Carolina University, and Associate Director of the Grant Center for Real Estate and Economic Development.

“This year, we are proud to announce that three of our recipients, Patrick Dempsey, Austin Johnson and Blake Osting,” are receiving the scholarship for the second time. Erin McQuade, a promising student from New Jersey, is a first-time recipient who has impressed us with both her academics and her interest in the Commercial Real Estate and Investment Minor,” Dr. Salvino continued.

All four students will be formally introduced at CCU’s Economic Growth and Real Estate Summit to be held September 29 at Pine Lakes Country Club.

The Grant Center Scholarship, first awarded in 2016, and made possible through a generous donation by Tony and Carrie Grant, the benefactors and namesake of the Grant Center, provides students with more than monetary support.

The Grant Center for Real Estate and Economic Development has developed unique programs and opportunities for its scholars with benefits that include:

Membership in the CCU Land Development and Real Estate Club for students

Student membership in the CCU Real Estate Club for professionals

Mentoring from faculty and employers

Internship opportunities

Research opportunities

Collaboration opportunities within CCU’s Speaker Series and Discussion Groups

To be considered for a Grant Center Scholarship, an applicant must be a CCU student in good academic standing with at least a 3.5 high school GPA for incoming freshmen, or a 2.75 college GPA for applicants who have successfully completed at least 12 college credit hours. Students must be enrolled in the Commercial and Investment Real Estate Minor through the College of Business for the upcoming year, and have demonstrated participation in leadership or extracurricular activities within the last two years.

Recipients are selected based on their submission of an essay in which the student articulates how participation in the minor relates to his or her academic and prospective career growth; and describes the personality traits and characteristics that will make them outstanding representatives of Coastal Carolina University.

The scholarship is awarded annually upon the recommendations of a committee composed of the associate director of the Grant Center for Real Estate and Economic Development and the dean of the Wall College of Business, based both on responses provided in the essay and academic standing. While financial need is considered, it is not essential to the award. The scholarship is available in an amount up to $5,000, not to exceed the full cost of tuition. While the scholarship is not automatically renewable, it can be awarded to the same student more than once.

MYRTLE BEACH

Top in-state scholars join UofSC freshman class

The University of South Carolina will welcome some of the nation’s and the state’s top students for the university’s most valuable and prestigious scholarship program. Recipients of the Stamps, Carolina and Hamilton scholar awards for in-state students and the Stamps, McNair and Horseshoe awards for out-of-state students will join the Carolina community in August.

"We are delighted to welcome a new class of Top Scholars to the university, knowing they are among the best and brightest scholars in our state and across the nation,” says Scott Verzyl, Carolina’s associate vice president for enrollment management. "These students were selected among thousands of their peers for the University of South Carolina’s most prestigious scholarships, and will step onto campus this fall as leaders inside the classroom and beyond. Our Top Scholars have tremendous opportunities to make this world a better place as students, and later, as alumni."

More than 3,500 students applied for Carolina’s top scholar awards, making it the largest and most competitive applicant pool in the university’s history. The university invited 96 scholar candidates to campus to compete for these awards.

This year’s five Stamps Scholars, 20 Carolina Scholars and five Hamilton Scholars come from 12 counties in South Carolina.

The Carolina Scholars Award is valued at $15,000 per year for four years. Beyond the monetary value, the scholarships provide students additional resources, support and programming for four years. The Hamilton Scholars award for in-state students is valued at $10,000 per year for four years.

The five students named in-state Stamps Scholars are awarded a scholarship valued up to $20,000, receive all the benefits of the Carolina Scholars, plus $10,000 to be used for enrichment opportunities including undergraduate research, study abroad, service projects or trips or unpaid internships during their undergraduate tenure.

This is the fifth year for the Stamps Carolina Scholars program, funded through a gift from the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation, founded by Penny and E. Roe Stamps IV.

Stamps Scholars

MYRTLE BEACH – Alvina Farheen Emran, daughter of Rubina Wadud and Mohammad Emran of Surfside Beach. She is a graduate of Socastee High School in Myrtle Beach.

Carolina Scholars

MYRTLE BEACH – Jade Ikahihifo-Bender, daughter of Talita Ikahihifo and Thomas Bender of Myrtle Beach. She is a graduate of Carolina Forest High School in Myrtle Beach.

Hamilton Scholars

MYRTLE BEACH – Sophia Gouhin, daughter of Lori Gouhin and Mark Gouhin of Myrtle Beach. She is a graduate of Carolina Forest High School.

HORRY COUNTY

Stewart Fitness Championships to support two local nonprofit organizations

Johnny Stewart, owner of the NPC preliminary bodybuilding competitions Stewart Fitness Championships, has announced his decision to support two amazing, local non-profit organizations in the Grand Strand: Coastal Rescue Mission and The Welcome Home Veterans and Support Center for their outstanding local work particularly with veterans.

Mr Stewart, a veteran himself, wanted to support both organizations that fill the gap in taking care of returning vets. Additionally, Coastal Rescue Mission oversees food distribution and numerous other services to the community in general.

The Stewart Fitness Championships is bringing their nationally televised, rock star, fitness championship to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center on August 5. The Stewart Fitness Competition is part of the NPC, the same prestigious organization that the Arnold Schwarzenegger Body Building Competitions are part of. This is the first time that the full production of SFC is coming to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. Their Charlotte Cup event consistently brings in an attendance of 4,000 people and they look forward to the Grand Strand's branch reaching that same level of support and attendance.

For more information on the competition, the two local, non-profit organizations or to schedule an interview with representatives from either- please go to thecharlottecup.com website (http://stewartfitness.com/thecharlottecup/) or contact Cindra Marshall, 843-458-1117.

HORRY COUNTY

The Sun News presents the 2017 Bridal Boutique

On Sunday, July 23, at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton, The Sun News will bring together over 40 of the area’s top wedding professionals for the 3rd Annual Bridal Boutique. Brides will have the opportunity to speak one on one with representatives from local businesses and discover all the wonderful products and services that are available along the Grand Strand to make their wedding day amazing. Guests will mingle with local photographers, coordinators, venues, caterers, bakeries, salons, officiants, travel agents and florists.

The show is Sunday, July 23, from noon - 3 p.m. at DoubleTree Resort by Hilton, 3200 South Ocean Boulevard, Myrtle Beach - Springs Ballroom, Third Floor. Admission at the door is $6. All brides will receive a tote bag and bridal planner upon arrival.